Right after preparations, we—royal soldiers and Guardians—headed to our destination on horseback. Or, was it even a horse? This beast had a body that could pass for one, only bulkier, with two horns jutting from its head.
Arriving at the edge of Lupo Forest, we dismounted, tied the beasts to trees, and left a few behind to guard them. Our load was light, thanks to the witches who conjured enchanted packs for us.
Darwin, our commander, gathered us in one spot. He wasted no words. "Our scouts report that the demons are moving southward in Lupo Forest. The moment they signal, we strike."
"Yes, sir!"
The ranks fell into position. We waited, weapons ready, till the scout's signal. Then they came: lesser demons, ghouls, zombies, skeletons, imps, and others swarming toward us.
"Shields! Hold!"
The front line unleashed skills: [Earthquake], [Avalanche], [Mudslides], and more, elemental power crashing like waves.
Mages and archers struck, every weapon crackling with magic. Mages turned raw elements into weapons in their own way.
"Kieeehhh!"
Imps flew overhead, and mages and archers targeted them, launching [Explosive Arrow], [Wind Blast], [Rock Throw], [Flame Burst].
As the mages and archers attacked from above and shields held the line below, we swordsmen and spearmen plunged into the demon horde.
"Charge!"
"Arghhh!"
Flames, wind, ice, lightning—all around, fighters unleashed elemental fury. Even warriors from neighboring lands joined us in the fray.
[Pierce], [Impale], [Tornado], [Barrage], [Thunder Strike], [Flame Wave].
Slash, slash, slash.
The stench of burnt flesh, demon blood, and shredded bodies filled the air.
Alone among the elemental warriors, I had no magic. But I kept moving forward, slashing alongside them.
Huff...huff...
'Running out of strength. Without buffs, fighting them is brutal.'
The witches held the rear line, supporting and cursing enemies from afar, while healers restored the strength of our frontline.
Amidst the chaos, a hulking creature loomed—a golem. I hadn't expected that. The shields tried everything: [Mudslides], [Earthquake]. Even we were thrown down with it.
With the golem on the ground, the Cryo-mages focused on freezing it, others aiming for the heart.
"Hydro-users, now!"
Hydro wielders drenched the golem, turning parts of its body into sludge under the assault.
"Cyro and Hydro stand clear! Hydro and Anemo mages, attack!"
Together, they combined [Water Blast] and [Aero Burst], jets of water propelled by a gust of wind.
The shields pressed forward. Healers restored strength to the exhausted. With the golem's heart exposed, a towering figure leaped toward it, warhammer raised high.
Bam, bam, bam!
"GROOOOAAAAAA!"
The man pounded relentlessly until the heart shattered, and the golem collapsed.
***
In the Kingdom of Kalvan, Terra Continent.
"Form barricades, shields!"
The ground rose, carving a cliff as the mages and archers took to higher ground to rain fire down on the demon horde.
"Luvia, now!"
Luvia, radiating white energy, hovered as black clouds darkened the sky.
Kugugugugu.
Boom, boom, boom!
"Kyaaaakkk."
"Kieeekkkhh."
Lightning tore through the demons, leaving charred remains. Healers rushed to restore Luvia's energy.
"Keep firing, mages and archers! Nearly finished!"
Thwip, thwip... Boom, boom.
***
In the Kingdom of Garkan, Beru Continent.
With the demon numbers dwindling, healers worked tirelessly on the royal soldiers.
Srat, srat, srat.
Soldiers kept slashing through lesser demons, while mages and archers took aim at any that dared fly overhead.
"Just a bit more!"
"Yes!"
***
Crack!
'Damn, another skeleton.'
Clang.
My back collided with someone else's.
Clang!
"Hey, relax, friend! I'm on your side."
"Eh, Lloyd?"
"Ken."
I didn't expect to see him here. It'd been a while, since I first made it to Silver rank.
"Krieeehh."
Stab.
A lesser demon lunged at us, but we cut it down easily.
"I didn't think you'd be here, too, Ken."
"Yeah, this is my job now."
Slash, slash.
We fought on, exchanging words in the chaos.
"Duck!"
I dropped my head as Lloyd leapt, spinning his spear.
[Explosive Barrage.]
Thud, thud, thud... BOOM!
The demons charging toward me exploded, limbs flying.
"This is strange..."
"What do you mean?"
"Ken, look at the orcs' and golems' eyes."
"Yeah, they're red. So?"
"Haven't read the guide, have you?"
'Ah, I forgot.'
"They're usually not red."
Stab.
"That's normal, right? The last orc I fought had red eyes."
The demons' numbers dwindled, but they kept coming.
"They're...being controlled."
"Huh?"
Crack
"Stay down, damn you!"
I grabbed the skeleton's sword and drove it through its skull.
"But who would control monsters
like this?"
"I'm not sure. But I heard of someone who could command monsters like these once."
I tried to keep up with Lloyd, but the demons wouldn't let up.
"Lloyd, watch out!"
Bam!
We dodged as a golem's fist crashed beside us. Mages moved in, and we used the same tactic to bring it down again.
***
Midnight.
Srak!
"Krieeehhh."
The final demon fell, marking the end of today's invasion. We pitched tents to rest.
One large tent held the wounded, with others for those only lightly injured. Some stood guard, some scouted, others cooked or rested. I wandered to the river, sat by a tree, and held Lenia's rune.
'Pyro rune...'
I gripped it, channeling my Shu into it, and flames sprang to life, just like when Lenia wielded it.
I laid my sword down, aiming the rune at it. As I focused, embers danced along the blade. Thrilled, but pained, I thought of Lenia. She wasn't by my side to see this.
'But if this slips out of my grasp, the buff will be lost...'
Srak, srak.
I heard movement in the bushes and readied myself.
"Hey!" Lloyd emerged, waving.
"Whoa, you can use an element?"
"...No."
"No? Then what's that?"
I didn't answer, just sat back down beneath the tree.
"Where's Lenia? I haven't seen her with you. She's usually close by."
"She...she..."
A familiar pain rose in my chest, memories crashing in. I took a deep breath.
"Ken? What's wrong?"
"She's gone. She's dead."
Lloyd's face fell. He nodded and asked me to tell him what happened. I recounted her death.
"So...Lenia left you her rune. What about the rest of your team? Did they fall too, or survive?"
"I don't know. Darwin said when he arrived, he saw only Lenia, me, and...a figure with half his skull gone."
"I see... I'm sorry for your loss. And sorry you had to relive it."
"It's fine."
"In any case, you're with me now. I don't want my friend suffering alone."
"Oh, how'd you know I'd be here?"
"Followed you. You looked like a walking corpse—I was afraid you'd pass out."
"Haha, thanks."
"You haven't eaten, have you? Let's get back and eat with the others."
We headed back to rejoin the others for food and rest. Mid-meal, the scouts returned to report on the current situation.
"What now..."